‘I didn’t mean to imply that you were spoilt. I appreciate the Mondelli name has been a mixed blessing for you.’

‘And the Markos name?’ she said, glad to be able to turn the conversation onto him. ‘Has that been a mixed blessing for you?’

He raised a shoulder. ‘The Markos name is nothing special. It doesn’t stand for anything.’

‘Yes, it does. It stands for hard work, determination and guts.’

‘Guts?’

‘Rocco told me you got into Columbia on a scholarship. That alone tells me how hard you’ve had to work to get where you are.’

‘We all have our crosses to bear, whatever background we’re born into,’ he said quietly. He tapped on the dividing window. Amidst a hail of tooting horns, the car came to a stop. ‘We will walk from here.’

* * *

Inside, a man played an accordion, the music only just audible above the raucous noise of the patrons, while pictures of

possibly the largest pot belly she’d ever seen ambled over to them, his arms outstretched. In

adding, ‘Mikolaj doesn’t speak any English

ignored as she was wrenched from Christian’s hold and yanked into Mikolaj’s embrace, which finished with an affectionate ruffle of her hair, much as

she was sitting comfortably—although how comfortable anyone could be when crammed like a sardine was debatable. He plonked

them but realised there was

ignore the heat brushing up her legs. ‘This place is

raised his eyebrows. ‘You like

is exactly how I imagined a Greek restaurant to be. You can feel the energy—you don’t get that in

had been put up. Was it being here, in his home city, that had caused its construction? Or had she been so wrapped up in

about this place apart from the food?’ he said. ‘It’s tourist-proof—all the people in here

tell me

is

busy?’ It was a Monday evening, hardly the busiest night of the

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